ook at some of the stories we're following this hour. members of japan's governing coalition are meeting to discuss upcoming national security legislation and the future role of the country's self-defense forces. leaders of the european union say they'll continue to press russia to help implement a cease-fire in eastern ukraine. and the team of u.s. specialists is showing japanese

nurses and police how to best respond to cases of sexual assault. japan's governing coalition is debating legislation that could change the way the country defends itself. at the center of the discussion is the future of the country's self-defense forces including how their role might be expanded. nhk world's ms. hoe nishikawa reports wp >> reporter: the debate over japan's right to collective vefl defense is nearing what may be the final stage. the outcome could determine where and how the country's self-defense forces are deployed. the japanese constitution currently allows them to be dispatched only when the country is under threat. the coalition is discussing whether the sdf should be allowed to go to the aid of closely related countries, as well. prime minister shinzo abe wants to change the current security policy to allow for such collective self-defense.

>> translator: we'll resolutely protect people's lives and livelihoods. for that purpose, we'll proceed with security legislation that allows this country to deal with any kind of situation. >> reporter: the cabinet decided last july to allow japan to exercise the right. the july decision limits such protection to u.s. forces. but the government and ldp are considering allowing the sdf to also help other countries, including australia. policymakers are discussing how to respond to what they call gray zone situations involving infringement of sovereignty that do not amount to armed attacks. another major item on t agenda is whether to allow the sdf to swiftly provide logistical support to multinational forces carrying out legitimate use of force based on a u.n.

resolution. the government and ldp want to expand the range of sdf activities. >> translator: we want to create legislation that allows japan to respond to any situation within the framework of our current constitution. >> reporter: the komeito argues some limits should be put in place. >> translator: before we can come to an agreement we have to discuss everything as a package, from gray zone situations logistical activities, to international cooperation. >> reporter: a security analyst and a former navy captain with japan's self-defense force says japanese citizens have to stay alert to the changes policymakers are trying to make. >> the meaning of the fundamental change is we have to

decide whether japan can exercise the right to self-defense even in peace time, or not. some misunderstood the exercise to the right to the self-defense in peace time. authority decided by japanese cabinet. but, just japanese cabinet over the issues we have to discuss inside japanese people. >> reporter: members of the ruling coalition plan to reach a broad agreement by the end of next month. the government aims to subt draft legislation to the diet in may. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. members of the united nations security council are trying to choke off terrorist financing. they're targeting sources of funding for the group islamic

state, and they've unanimously adopted a resolution calling for global cooperation. russia drafted the first outline. the resolution was jointly proposed by more than 30 nations, including japan. it threatens sanctions on anyone buying oil from trurt under islamic state control. it bans all trade in antiquities from syria and iraq and calls on countries to stop kidnap ransom payments. >> translator: the resolution marks an important step toward cutting the flow of funds to terrorists. >> the loss of people like moaz kenji and kayla deepens our resolve to eradicate the violent group that cuts their lives short. >> western nations in russia have been sharply divided over the syrian crisis but they have cooperated over responses to islamic state militants. japanese leaders say they have no information on any of the country's citizens who might be in areas controlled by islamic

state militants. cabinet ministers replied to an inquiry from an opposition lawmaker a japanese muslim woman has been out of contact since leaving for turkey in november. turkey neighbors syria, where the militants are active. the ministers say that officials met her twice in october to discourage her from entering syria. they also say the government tried to persuade the freelance journalist kenji goto not to go to syria three times in september and october. the militants claim they killed goto and another japanese citizen haruna nuclear wow. the ministers also said they do not know of any terrorist organization in japan with links to the militant group. leaders in europe and the u.s. are warning russia about what's at stake if the new cease-fire agreement in ukraine fails. they blame president vladimir putin or meddling in the conflict between pro-russian

separatists and government forces. and they say they won't hesitate to take further action if fighting continues to grind on. more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: european union leaders have spent the better part of a year talking about the crisis in ukraine. as they gathered in brussels they made it clear there's a lot riding on the latest cease-fire. >> this is not just about the independence and stability or integrity of ukraine. the whole geopolitical order in europe after 1989 is at stake. >> reporter: ukrainian military forces have been fighting since last april to contain an uprising in the country's east. pro-russian separatists want independence. many agree they've been receiving help in the form of weapons and troops from russia. something officials in moscow deny. german chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande guided difficult discussions this week to get a new cease-fire. they worked through the night

with the presidents of ukraine and russia. no one was 100% happy, but they walked away with an agreement, nonetheless. one that resembles a previous deal. among the terms, ukrainian forces and the separatists will begin a cease-fire as of the start of february 15th. they'll begin withdrawing heavy weapons and troops to create a buffer zone. foreign fighters will leave ukraine but there's no deadline and both sides will release hostages and other detainees. by the end of the year ukraine is supposed to regain control of its border with russia. and the parties will work on constitutional reform to give eastern regions more autonomy. rebel leaders have called the agreement a victory. but some of their supporters are being cautious. we will see whether there will be a cease-fire or not, says this woman. they've seen the devastation this conflict has caused more than 5,000 dead communities in ruin and bitter divisions. the rebels are still pushing to

swallow up more territory. ukrainian soldiers are still trying to stand their ground. many citizens hope life will soon return to normal. i want peace, says this woman. i just want peace. that's something the president of ukraine says he wants, too. >> that's why it is vitally prn for us for all of us to make the pressure to keep the promises about the cease-fire. >> reporter: both merkel and hollande have noted this is by no means a done deal. other european leaders are being more pointed. >> vladimir putin needs to know that unless his behavior changes the sanctions we have in place won't be altered. >> reporter: those sanctions have been aimed at the russian economy, russian officials and rebel leaders, and they've been effective. the united states is also keeping its guard up for now. >> we re -- maintain the ability and the resources to put additional sanctions in place

should the situation on the ground warrant it. >> reporter: president obama has been weighing whether to send weapons to the ukrainian military. that won't happen for now, but still, as the clock winds down to sunday many believe the fighting will intensify, given all that's happened and the difficult steps ahead, the cease-fire may prove to be the easiest part of this agreement. craig dale, nhk world. officials in japan are looking ahead to this summer's 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii. they say they want to use the occasion to improve ties with neighboring countries. a senior member of the main governing party has met with south korea's president, and they discussed the need to address one of the issues that divides them the most. toshihiro nikai is chairman of the general counsel. he met south korean president park geun-hye in cole. he handed park a letter from

prime minister shinzo abe expressing his desire to improve ties. park said people will be discussing historical issues this year, and she plans to handle them cautiously. she said she wants to settle the issue of those referred to as comfort women while the people affected are stale live. nikai said he does, too. >> translator: japan has its own position on the issue but simply stating logic will not lead to a solution. we need to sincerely face up to the issue, to settle it while the people are still alive. >> chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga said japan and south korea need to communica at various levels to address the difficult issues. he he said he hopes nikai's visit will help move relations forward. leaders in north korea see this year as a milestone for their ruling party. the workers party of korea was established two months after the war's end to celebrate.

officials are planning a series of events including a massive military parade in the capital pyongyang. >> the party officials say they want to demonstrate at home and abroad that people are united under leader kim jong-un. they also say north korea will increase production of new military hardware to meet the needs of modern warfare. the japanese government is considering extending some of its sanctions against north korea. and officials are urging pyongyang to step up its investigation into the fate of missing japanese. the japanese government lifted some sanctions last july after pyongyang set up a committee to find out what happened to japanese abductees, and

citizens. the measures included a ban on travel between the two countries, but other restrictions remain in place. japan has been urging north korea to proceed with the investigation and quickly report the results. but after more than seven months, no concrete progress has been reported. two of the remaining sanctions are set to expire in april. japanese officials say they might extend them for two years after that. they prohibit north korea from engaging in trade with japan and its vessels from entering japanese ports, except for humanitarian purposes. officials with japan's defense ministry say all three people on board a maritime self-defense force helicopter that crashed have been confirmed dead. the craft went down in southwestern japan. rescuers found the debris of the oh-6 helicopter in a mountainous area on friday. officials say the helicopter

took off from the kanoya base in kagoshima prefecture the previous morning and later went missing. the craft was on a training flight. on board were instructor a crew member and a trainee. officials say the helicopter was returning to base after the crew changed their initial route because of bad weather. the number of reported sexual crimes in japan is increasing reaching over 9,000 cases per year. nurses and police officers are learning how to better handle cases of sexual crime. they're getting some guidance from professionals from the united states. nhk world's norick ka okada reports. >> reporter: a group that wants to develop human resources held a training seminar in tokyo on friday. about 100 nurses counselors and police officers who deal with sexual assault victims, attended. more and more people in japan are falling victim to sexual crimes.

a japanese team is training professionals to support them. they invited experts from the united states to share their skills and knowledge. dr. linda ledray shared her experiences with the support group called the sexual assault response team, or sort. she launched a group in minneapolis 38 years ago. >> all of the team members, the group of professionals, who coordinate their efforts to provide distance center response to sexual assault. >> reporter: ledray says cooperation between offices help workers and police lead to more suspects being identified and help victims return to society more quickly. she stresses the importance of training nurses and forensic examiners to collect evidence. james markey a former police detective sergeant from the

u.s. observed the participants in a mock interview of a possible victim. >> i don't know if i was assaulted. i don't remember much. >> understanding the victim interview for law enforcement is understanding of the trauma that occurred to the victim during the course. >> reporter: he says an interviewer needs to be careful with words and behavior in order to gain as much accurate information as possible with the least amount of trauma to the victim. >> by working to the with medical, law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates, we were able to get more victims to come forward, more victims to report the crime of rape. because it was going on anyway. >> reporter: the participants will continue training in the workshops, covering topics such as suspect interviews and trial testimony preparation. noriko okada, nk world.

japan is trying to change how citizens work. they want to shift to work performance over hours spent, and ron madison is here with more on this story. ron? >> that's right. a panel with japan's labor ministry are hoping to see workers rewarded more for their results, gene rather than how many hours they actually put in. supporters say such a system will encourage flexible working styles. but critics fear it would create more overtime. a report by the panel contains recommendations for two kinds of workers. one covers professional employees with annual incomes of more than $90,000. and clearly defined job descriptions. the panel wants to add a condition allowing companies to limit the working hours of such employees. for general workers, it makes several suggestions for cutting working hours. one would obligate companies to offer ten or more paid holidays a year of which employees must take five. >> translator: the new system is very useful to provide a better

working environment in which people with high skills can work more efficiently. >> translator: the system focuses more on results. this may force employees to work longer hours. >> the ministry plans to use the report as the basis for diet bills revising the labor standards law. and other legislation. officials at major japanese textile firm toray industries have fired an employee for ez embezzling more than $1.6 million. they say the man was in charge of sales promotion. an in-house investigation found for more than ten years he's been pocketing money from funds set aside to pay contractors. officials say the man has admitted his guilt. toray plans to file a criminal complaint against him. data showing better than expected growth in the eurozone for october to december last year has cheered investors. the economy grew by 0.3% up 0.1 of a point from the previous quarter. here's how major benchmarks in

europe are looking at this hour. we're seeing gains across the board right now for the majors. london is up by 0.6%. paris is gaining by 0.7. and frankfurt gaining by just over half a percent there. japan's nikkei retreated from a seven-year high today closing down 0.4% 17,913. now investors booked profits and sold export related shares on the higher yen. for the week the nikkei rose 1.5%. in in in china the zhang shy posit rose nearly 1%. fresh measures showed sentiment ahead of the lunar holiday that kicks off next week. australian shares surged to a seven-year high. the main index finished the day higher 2.3%. hong kong gaining more than 1%. south korea closed up 0.8%. taking a look at currencies now. the euro is moving in a narrow range. euro dollar is at 1.1412.

euro yen 135.62. some market players are digesting the economic data. but some traders are buying the euro on expectations. talks on greece's bailout program between athens and its international creditors. european union leaders have sat down together in brussels to friend solutions for greeces adebt crisis. they failed to make any progress. greece is asking to rescue its debt crisis. greek prime minister alexis tsipras made his first appearance at the eu summit as a representative of the country's new anti-austerity government. tsipras explained a set of bailout proposals based on reconsidering the current austerity measures. the prime minister vowed to continue asking for a review. he said greece needs fiscal brooegt space. german chancellor angela merkel said the current bailout program must continue even after its term expires at the end of this month. germany is the biggest

contributor to greece's rescue loan. negotiations among greek and other eurozone finance ministers are scheduled to go into full swing from monday. china traditionally celebrates the start of the lunar new year with fireworks and firecrackers. but beijing officials have limited sales this year in a bid to fight the city's chronic air pollution. the celebratory items went on sale in the capital friday ahead of the start of the new year on february 19th. city officials are limiting the sales period to just 11 days. that's half the usual length. that's expected to slash consumption, and keep the air cleaner. air pollution worsens during the lunar new year holiday due to thousands of fireworks. >> translator: i buy fireworks and fire crackers every year to celebrate the new year. it's a traditional thing. >> sales are falling. beijing is always covered with smog to environmental awareness of the people is growing. >> chinese media say about 40% fewer fireworks and firecrackers

have been shipped to stores in beijing this year. all right that is going to wrap it up for biz tonight. i'll leave you with the markets. some people in japan are dealing with blizzard conditions and damaging winds. our meteorologist sayaka mori joins us for the latest. sayaka? >> yes gene extreme weather is happening in many parts of japan. we are talking about tornadoes,

significant snowfall in the north. first i want to take you to western kanagawa prefecture. tornado-like gusts are occurring this afternoon. it seems to be a mini tornado, so-called gustnado. winds broke window does of cars and a residential home. a rooff o a warehouse was torn up too. no injuries have been reported. so far. well i'll just show you this chart. a graphic that shows tornado touchdowns since 1961 till 2013. actually about 25 tornadoes occur a year in japan. many tornadoes occur in the kanto plain. most of them are weak though and most of them occur in the summertime. but in winter it happens quite rare for this time of year. the reason for the bad weather is cold air from the north collided with westerly warm wind. that caused the severe weather. now the cold air actually caused heavy snowfall over the north

because it moves over the sea of japan it gets ample moisture from the water, so snow clouds form over the northwestern flank of the nation. the significant snow and plussery conditions are happening in the tohoku and hokuriku regions. i want to take you to yamagata to show you the snowy sight up there. this is yamagata city where about 40 centimeters of snow have piled up. record breaking gusts have been reported early friday morning. several railway services have been suspended and ferry services and flights have been canceled. 50 centimeters is still likely through saturday afternoon. now actually 80 centimeters fell in the hokuriku region or 90 even in the mountainous locations. gusts could be up to 110 kilometers per hour so the combination will cause blustery conditions, blowing snow conditions, as well as near-zero visibility. winds are going to be up to five meters. enough to cause coastal flooding as well as thunderstorms over the coastal locations.

lots of things are happening across japan. snow will likely continue into the weekend. dry weather for many parts of the korean peninsula and the north of china, but beijing, hazy conditions so once again develop over the weekend. and rain will develop over inhand china, as well. the temperatures much warmer than normal in many parts of china as well as the korean peninsula. tokyo just on target with a high of 10 degrees on your saturday or valentine's day. now across the north america, of course north america snow is actually causing lots of headaches to people in living in the new england states. take a look at this picture. lots of snow is still on the ground. actually it's quite calm at this moment. but new system will be moving into the northeast by your saturday. so blustery conditions. blizzard-like conditions for once again happen in the northeast earn u.s. over the weekend. as the system comes in temperatures will plummet. take a look at this subzero figures continuing into the next four days at least, and actually

across denver oklahoma city you'll see quite high temperatures on saturday. but just 2 degrees on your sunday and even down to subzero figures as we go into early next week. now snow is still continuing across turkey and turning quite stormy across the western continent, as well as the british isles, and temperatures are going to be as like this. up to 8 degrees in london with rainy weather on friday. here's the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

' agreement. a glimmer of hope in greece's debt crisis. athens will meet with lenders while angela merkel says a compromise is possible. turkey's president lashes out that -- in the wake of three muslim students. also coming up, battling the deportation -- deforestation. we look at the